''Out of Shadows'' is a 2010 children's historical novel by Jason Wallace, published by

Andersen Press Andersen Press is a British book publishing company. It was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge, and was named after Hans Christian Andersen "because it is easier to pronounce and spell than Flugge". Random House has a holding in the company and a ...

on 28 January 2010. Set in 1980s

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, the story follows white teenager Robert Jacklin at a prestigious boarding school as he confronts bullying, anti-black racism, his own morality and the political instability of the time. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, it is partly inspired by Wallace's own experiences attending a boarding school in Zimbabwe after the civil war. The novel was rejected by publishers one hundred times before being published by Andersen Press. The novel received favourable reviews and won the 2010

Costa Book Award The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

for Children's Book, the 2011

Branford Boase Award The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is s ...

and the 2011

UKLA Book Award The United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom which aims to promote good practice and raise standards in literacy. It was founded in 1963 as the United Kingdom Reading Association, but changed its nam ...

. It was also shortlisted for the 2010

Booktrust Teenage Prize The Booktrust Teenage Prize was an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize was administered by Book Trust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading. The Booktrust Teenage Prize was last awarded ...

and the 2011 Carnegie Medal.

Synopsis

In 1983, thirteen-year-old Robert Jacklin arrives from England at Haven School, an elite boys' boarding school in Zimbabwe. He is the son of a British intellectual attached to the British Embassy. Robert befriends Nelson Ndube, one of the few black pupils at the school, but eventually turns to the white elite of the school instead in an effort to find safety and acceptances. Many of the white students, particularly Ivan Hascott, are racist bullies who are still angered that the country's white minority lost power to its black majority after the recent civil war. Robert wrestles with his conscience while becoming drawn into their ideology and practices. Ivan's family has suffered during

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of th ...

's rise to power, and Ivan pressures Robert into joining his quest for revenge on black Africans. Robert becomes disturbed by Ivan's increasingly violent behavior.

Background

''Out of Shadows'' took one year and six months to complete. Wallace himself attended a boarding school in Zimbabwe shortly after the end of the Rhodesian Bush War/ Zimbabwean War of Liberation.Jason Wallace Website
Retrieved 28 October 2011. While a student there, he wanted to write a story of what he had seen and experienced. The political atmosphere in Zimbabwe was declining and unstable, and inspired Wallace to begin writing fictional stories of his encounters. Though the characters in ''Out of Shadows'' are not real, they served to demonstrate the attitudes or personalities "a very few people" were portraying. Wallace notes that he "came up with the idea of "What if...?" and took it from there" when he was writing the novel. There may be many similar aspects of the novel's story may share with Wallace's real life but they are general details and are not very specific. ''Out of Shadows'' was rejected by one hundred literary agents and publishers before being picked up by

. The novel was first published in paperback format in the United Kingdom by Andersen Press on 28 January 2010. In April 2011, it was published in the United States by

Holiday House A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottage ...

(). It was later translated into Portuguese, Turkish and Spanish.

Reception

In its

starred review A starred review is a book review marked with a star to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality. A starred review can help to increase media coverage, bookstore placement and sales of a book. Outlets that published starred review ...

, ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called the novel a "first-rate, surprisingly believable thriller" and praised Wallace's "mastery" in portraying race relations in post-war Zimbabwe. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' gave the novel a favourable review, writing, "Racial conflict, corruption, and the cycle of abuse are conveyed with authenticity in this uncomfortable, unvarnished story." In her review for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', writer

Amanda Craig Amanda Craig (born 1959) is a British novelist, critic and journalist. Early life Born in South Africa, Craig grew up in Italy before moving to London. Her parents were British journalist, author and UN Press Officer Dennis Craig and Sout ...

praised the novel as "something that schools should study and readers read." Writing in the ''

Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'',

Nicholas Tucker Nicholas Tucker is an English academic and writer who is an honorary Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex. He was educated at Burgess Hill School in Hampstead, London, where his English teacher was briefly Bernice Ru ...

called it an "excellent" novel. Emma Lee-Potter of the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' compared it to ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is the 1954 debut novel of British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of prepubescent British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves that led to ...

'' and wrote that it "could well become a children's classic." Booktrust called it an "expert and disturbing examination of the meaning of morality and of the comprehensive and complex legacy of conflict and injustice." In his review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', author

Patrick Ness Patrick Ness Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, FRSL (born 17 October 1971) is an American-British author, journalist, lecturer, and screenwriter. Born in the United States, Ness moved to London and holds dual citizenship. He is best k ...

criticized the novel for its "often unsubtle and occasionally unconvincing" plot as well as the "full psychology" of Robert's journey into and out of Ivan's racist crusade for not being "as nuanced as it really needs to be." Ness nonetheless called the novel "a powerful, devastating read."

Awards

* 2010

for Children's Book, winner * 2011

, winner * 2011

, winner * 2010

, shortlist * 2011 Carnegie Medal, shortlist

References

{{Reflist 2010 British novels 2010 children's books 2010 debut novels Andersen Press books British children's novels British historical novels British young adult novels Children's historical novels Costa Book Award–winning works Fiction set in 1983 Novels set in Zimbabwe Novels about bullying Novels about race and ethnicity Novels about racism Novels set in boarding schools Novels set in the 1980s Children's books set in Zimbabwe Children's books set in the 1980s Children's books set in schools Children's books about race and ethnicity